East Sussex County Council has awarded Jackson Civil Engineering a contract to replace a Victoria bridge.
Exceat Bridge carries the A259 across the River Cuckmere, within the Seven Sisters Country Park, which is itself in the South Downs National Park.
East Sussex County Council considers the A259 to be an important route for economic connectivity, linking communities from the east of the County along the coastal corridor from Eastbourne to Brighton.
Exceat bridge was originally built around 1870 for horses and carts. It was extensively repaired in the 1970s but is now reaching the end of its life. It is a single-lane bridge with priority given to traffic travelling east, which means that traffic backs up in both directions at peak times. As a short-term measure, temporary traffic lights on the bridge were introduced to manage traffic flow.
The £20m project has been funded by:
- £7.9m from the government’s Levelling Up fund in 2021,
- £11.28m from the Bus Service Improvement Plan Round 1 funding, and
- East Sussex County Council’s capital funds.
Preparations for construction work are expected to begin in the spring.
Cllr Claire Dowling, lead member for transport, said: “With the bridge sitting in the middle of the South Downs National Park, it was important to bring on board an experienced contractor who can carry out the work sensitively, and I am delighted with the appointment of Jackson Civil Engineering Group. The appointment means we can move forward to construction of the bridge, which has been many years in the planning.”
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